After extensive testing I come to the conclusion that my exiting passengers from the passenger boarding bridge (PBB) are strangely attracted to the boarding desk. Wherever I put the boarding desk, the exiting passengers go in this direction. This shouldn’t be like this. The boarding desk is kind an entrance not an exit. So my architecture for the boarding area is quite challenging to keep a clean passenger flow. How do you people handle this? Did you observe this behaviour? Or is it a bug?
I solved the problem with extending the staff zone in front and behind the desk so the passengers go more straight to the middle of the boarding area. Although some passengers are still sneaking through the left side of the boarding desk:
Some airport (maybe most) in the real world have boarding and disembarking on the same door and floors. Boarding will not start until the plane is empty, cleaned, with new crew, so its not like people walk on each other. I have a plan to try 2 outer walls with disembarking zone between them. I guess the passenger would prefer shortest route to exit (bag area), so it would be a challenge to design it maybe.
Some airports have a solution with a disembarking zone or different floor that is separated from the boarding area. I would like to see multi level airport where you can use ground floor for baggage and arrival, first floor for boarding with possibilities to bridge service roads.
I have tried exactly to do this with the 2 outer walls (Seen this in São Paulo Guarulhos Airport) but I didn’t manage that the exiting passenger walk down the outer disembarking bound. They always passed through the bording desk. So if there would be a one way door it would immediately be possible. Here in Zurich we have the two floor solution.
But if its a one way door, how will the people board the aircraft?
Anyway, I think maybe some kind of signing system could be a solution. I think how they use signs in real airports make it user friendly or not. This could maybe be implemented in the game. A user friendly airport would route the passengers in the right direction for a smooth and quick transfer = good ratings. There is departure screens to put up, but not sure if they have any function.
